Guide to working woman pregnancy

If you are pregnant at work your employer must protect your health and safety and you may have the right to paid time off for antenatal care. You are also protected against unfair treatment. Find out what protections you are entitled to.

Pregnant employees have four key rights:

1. paid time off for antenatal care

2. maternity leave

3. maternity pay benefits

4. protection against unfair treatment or dismissal

Here are some more tips to keep you and your upcoming baby comfortable at your workplace.

1. Wear comfortable and loose clothing to breathe freely. Also avoid high heels as much as possible.

2. Keep arrangement of a towel napkin, chewing gum etc to avoid nausea during morning sickness.

3. Take care of your seating arrangement. Get an adjustable chair where you can fix the height and armrest as you wish.

4. Use a couple of back cushions or pillows to support your lower back.

5. Try to reduce stress with deep breathing exercises and some basic yoga.

6. Drink a lot of water and go to the bathroom as often as you need to.

7. Eat regular meals and have nourishing snacks in between.

8. Take frequent breaks. Go for a walk with your colleagues to get some fresh air.

Risk assessment

When you tell your employer that you are pregnant your employer should review their risk assessment for your specific work and identify any changes that are necessary to protect you and your unborn baby's health. Your employer should involve you in the process and continue to review the assessment as your pregnancy progresses to see if any adjustments are necessary.

These risks might be caused by:

1. lifting or carrying heavy loads

2 . standing or sitting for long periods

3. exposure to toxic substances

4. long working hours

Your employer must then either remove the risk or remove you from being exposed to it (for example, by offering you suitable alternative work). If neither of these is possible, your employer should suspend you from work on full pay.